Arthur, Stanley Clisby & Doré, Susan Cole (1990). She was responsible for the designs and constructions of the Pontalba Buildings, Place d'Armes (she copied it from Place des Vosges in Paris, France) and equestion statue of Andrew Jackson at Jackson Square in New Orleans, and l'Hotel de Pontalba in Paris, France and … The baroness, who grew up in the city, was returning to oversee the construction of two impressive rows of townhouses on her properties flanking the Place d’Armes (renamed Jackson Square in 1851). Micaela Almonester Baroness de Pontalba was born in November 1795 to a wealthy New Orleans family. [26] Afterward, Micaela auctioned the furniture Lind had used. [37], Micaela Almonester de Pontalba died at the Hôtel de Pontalba in Paris on April 20, 1874 at the age of seventy-eight. [33] The following year after obtaining an agreement from the city for a 20-year tax exemption, she personally designed and commissioned the construction of the beautiful red-brick town houses forming two sides of Place d'Armes which are today known as the Pontalba Buildings. They also provide a small window into the personal life of one of 19th-century New Orleans’s best-known characters, Micaëla Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba. In 1830, without her husband's permission, she went to New Orleans for an extended visit, in an effort to assert her land rights on American soil. In 1921 the Pontalba family sold the Lower Pontalba Building to philanthropist William Ratcliff Irby who subsequently, in 1927, bequeathed it to the State Museum. She ordered the houses to be demolished and hired the skilled building contractor Samuel Stewart to renovate the Place d'Armes. Célestin and Alfred both married and had children whose descendants continue to reside in France into the 21st Century. Also unique, special event venue. photos via upperpontalba.org Built in 1849-1851 by the feisty Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, the city-owned Upper Pontalba apartments are often labeled as … She married her French cousin (also born in New Orleans), Joseph-Xavier Célestin Delfau de Pontalba, just three weeks after meeting him. Micaela Leonarda Antonia Almonester was born November 6, 1795, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the eldest and only surviving child of Don Andres Almonester y Rojas and his aristocratic French wife, Louise Denys de la Ronde, a member of one of the most illustrious families in Louisiana. There, she quickly became the leader of fashionable society, her salons drawing the city's most important and influential people. Micaela and her sons occupied the house at number 5, St. Peter Street. [15] Father Antonio De Sedella officiated at the ceremony which was conducted in Spanish - a language Micaela's groom did not understand. [28] The wealthiest woman in New Orleans at the time,[29] her contemporaries regarded Micaela as having been shrewd, vivacious, and business-like. [27] She was not classically beautiful... she was intelligent and strong-willed, and attracted much admiration from the Parisians for her opulent parties. He was buried beside her in the de Pontalba family tomb at Mont l'Évêque. So good was she with money that she became the de facto head of all family affairs. Micaela was responsible for the design and construction of the famous Pontalba Buildings in Jackson Square, in the heart of the French Quarter. During the 1840s, she constructed two Parisian-style row homes for over $300,000. [3] Following Micaela's marriage, in 1811, to her French cousin, Joseph-Xavier Célestin Delfau de Pontalba, she moved to France. In her own time, she would meet the challenge of what was by then a family tradition. ... Born in 1795 in New Orleans, Micaela, Baroness de Pontalba, lived a life with plenty of twists and turns. She also helped finance the bronze equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, featured prominently in the square, at whose side her uncle, Colonel Pierre Denys de La Ronde (1762 - 1824), had fought during the Battle of New Orleans, playing crucial roles in advising Jackson, and in rallying local support. The artist, Gaston de Pontalba (1821–1875), was the youngest of the baroness’s three sons, and he accompanied her to New Orleans, along with his brother Alfred and childhood friend Eugène-Joseph Napoléon Klein. Louise was the eldest child of wealthy French-Canadian Naval Officer Pierre Denys de La Ronde (1726-1772), reassigned from Nouvelle-France to Nouvelle-Orleans by his Godfather, later French Louisiana Governor, Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial, and later distinguished in the French and Indian Wars. Gaston continued to create drawings, lithographs, and sculptures. PRESS     She constructed two Parisian-style row house buildings between 1849-51, at a cost of over $300,000. [4] At the time of her birth, Louisiana was owned by Spain, though Spanish settlers were then greatly outnumbered by the colony's previous owners, who were mainly French. Like most Creoles, she married a cousin, but her in-laws turned out to be more interested in her money than in family love and loyalty. At first the marriage was successful; Micaela became pregnant shortly after their arrival in France and eventually bore her husband a total of four sons and a daughter. A successful businesswoman, the Baroness Pontalba invested in real estate properties and purchased large parcels of land on the upriver and downriver sides of the Place d’Armes. The original church and Cabildo had been destroyed in the Great New Orleans fire of 1788. Her life was worthy of an operatic plot, and eventually became one: Pontalba: a Louisiana Legacy, composed by Thea Musgrave. [9] She was an artistic and musical child who, by the age of 13, owned her own piano. [20], The 1825 death of her mother left Micaela as the heir and manager of her parents' considerable estates, which now included numerous properties in Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Micaela_Almonester,_Baroness_de_Pontalba&oldid=983724035, Louisiana Creole people of Spanish descent, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 October 2020, at 21:40. [16], However, the constant interference of her eccentric father-in-law eventually turned the marriage into a disaster, exacerbated by Célestin's own weak character. 726 Pontalba St , New Orleans, LA 70124-2746 is a apartment unit listed for rent at $1,350/mo. To illustrate the landmark's historical significance, the State Museum has recreated what one of the residences would have looked like during the Antebellum era when the Baroness Pontalba first opened her doors. The de Pontalbas furiously demanded that she sign over all of her New Orleans property to them, in exchange for her being allowed to assume control of her mother's Paris houses. Louise's mother, Madeleine (Broutin) Denys de la Ronde, was the daughter of Ignace Francois Broutin, royal engineer, celebrated architect, and commandant of the French militia at Fort Natchez. On April 26, 1798, when Micaela was just ​2.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} 1⁄2 years old, her Spanish father, Don Andrés Almonester y Rojas, died, leaving her his sole surviving heir. [24] With the armed baron still in pursuit, Micaela was dragged down the stairs to the drawing room where she fell to the floor, crying out, "Help me". After several more lawsuits, a civil law judge ordered the restitution of her property and Micaela was granted a legal separation from her husband, although they were never actually divorced. To alleviate the boredom of country life, she converted a large room at the old chateau into a theatre where she put on plays. [6] Seeing New Orleans for the first time after an absence of many years, Micaela had immediately noticed that the once-stylish French Quarter had become derelict and unsightly. In 1848 at the outbreak of revolution in France, Micaela and two of her sons, Alfred and Gaston, departed for New Orleans. [17] The $40,000 in cash plus jewelry that Micaela brought to Célestin as her dowry, which had been the sum agreed upon when the marriage contract was drawn up, represented only one-quarter of her Almonester inheritance; the remaining three-quarters was retained and grown larger by Louise. 921 Pontalba St is located in Navarre, New Orleans. 912 Pontalba St, New Orleans, LA 70124 is a 1,704 sqft multi-family. Shortly afterwards, Micaela's mother, Louise, married Jean-Baptiste Castillon, the 25-year-old French Consul. [34], At the time the buildings were row houses. Her portrait as a young wife shows a woman of grace and reflection; her photograph at an older age shows a hardened veteran with unmistakably masculine features,"[6] a highly subjective opinion of a lady in her latter years, and of little to no historical import. PRIVACY POLICY     912 Pontalba St is located in Navarre, New Orleans. ft. apartment is a 1 bed, 1.0 bath unit. [24] Despite her injuries, Micaela made an attempt to escape her father-in-law and outside the door she fell into the arms of her maid who had rushed up the stairs upon hearing the first gunshot. During his two-and-a-half-year stay, he produced some 120 drawings, watercolors, and prints of the city and surrounding region. A rustic architectural element that hangs over a living room sofa was found at Orient Expressed in New Orleans. [10][11] Her younger sister, Andrea Antonia, had died in 1802 at the age of four. [36] Prior to her departure, Lind publicly expressed her gratitude to Micaela for the latter's lavish hospitality. She returned to New Orleans in the late 1840's (after having miraculously survived an attempt by her father-in-law to murder her), and immediately began planning apartment buildings to flank either side … [5] The prospective groom duly arrived in Louisiana with his mother, Jeanne Françoise le Breton des Chapelles Delfau de Pontalba, and after an acquaintance of just three weeks he and Micaela were married. Each building included the first recorded use of iron railings which i… The current Trulia Estimate for 921 Pontalba St is $525,524. Don Andres, a native of Mairena del Alcor, Andalucia, Spain, w… With the completion of the Pontalba buildings, the family departed for France in March 1851 and never returned to New Orleans. The Upper Pontalba Building: Living history. Baroness Pontalba, an accomplished businesswoman, invested in real estate, purchasing the land on the upriver and downriver sides of the Place d’Armes. Arthur, Stanley C., Arthur, Stanley Clisby & de Kernion, George Campbell Huchet (1998). TERMS & CONDITIONS     Gaston de Pontalba’s drawings capture the family’s voyage from France, the houses in which they lived, the nearby plantations they visited, and their summer travels. The Pontalba buildings, as the townhouses came to be known, cemented the baroness’s legacy as one of the city’s great builders. Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral, and Presbytère; between October 1848 and February 1849; pencil and watercolor on paper; by Gaston de Pontalba; courtesy of Baron de Pontalba, Clockwise from left: Alfred de Pontalba, Eugène-Joseph Napoléon Klein, Gaston de Pontalba, unidentified man; 1848; daguerreotype; courtesy of Baron de Pontalba, Decatur Street; between 1850 and 1851; pencil and watercolor on paper; by Gaston de Pontalba; courtesy of Baron de Pontalba. At home she spoke French, although she knew Spanish, and later learned English. [24] After the first shot, she allegedly screamed out: "Don't! She owned most of the property in Place d'Armes as it formed part of her vast inheritance. Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. New Orleans is infamous for its spooky past, filled with tales of voodoo, vampires, ghosts, and witches. A play by Diana E.H. Shortes, entitled The Baroness Undressed, and many novels have been written about her dramatic life. By this time she was already a legend in the city of her birth, as one of New Orleans' most dynamic personalities.[2][6]. [30] The cast-ironwork decorating the balconies were also her personal design and she had her initials "AP" carved into the center of each section. She spent many years in Paris with her husband's family. "Micaela Almonester Pontalba: the Baroness of Extremes". View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. [13], Sometime after the wedding, Micaela and Célestin, accompanied by both their mothers, left Louisiana for France. Alfred Danzinger, Jules D. Dreyfous, and William Runkel acquired the Upper Pontalba. On October 19, 1834, during one of her visits to the chateau, he stormed into her bedroom and shot Micaela four times in the chest at point-blank range with a pair of duelling pistols. [9] Immediately upon her marriage, Micaela became a French citizen. After the wedding, Micaela moved to France to reside in the Pontalba family chateau at Mont L’Evoque. Also taking the opportunity to travel, Madame de Pontalba stopped in Washington DC where President Andrew Jackson sent his carriage and secretary of state Martin Van Buren to bring her to the White House as his guest. When her estranged husband suffered a physical and mental breakdown she took him in and cared for him up until her own death. Gaston de Pontalba’s drawings capture the family’s voyage from France, the houses in which they lived, the nearby plantations they visited, and their summer travels. She eventually obtained a legal separation from her husband. She often performed onstage in the amateur theatrical productions which were attended by her friends from Paris. [30][31] Her assets there valued at $520,000,[32] but despite being owner of the third most valuable property in the French Quarter, she made little profit from it as most of her tenants were slack in paying the rent. Discover a selection of 2,000 vacation rentals in Pontalba Buildings, New Orleans that are perfect for your trip. The bride being seven years older than the groom was widely exaggerated, garnering much scorn from the local population, who showed their displeasure by conducting a riotous charivari that lasted for three days and nights, and featured effigies of her new bridegroom and dead husband in his coffin. [12] Micaela was educated, along with other Creole daughters of the French and Spanish elite, by the nuns at the old Ursuline Convent on la Rue Conde, now Chartres Street. A short walk down a few stairs leads to a guest room, also done in light, soothing colors and scattered with treasured family … Based on Redfin's New Orleans data, we estimate the home's value is $401,763. [13], In keeping with Creole tradition, a marriage was arranged for Micaela in 1811 when she was fifteen. [35] When Swedish singer Jenny Lind visited New Orleans for a month in 1851, Micaela graciously allowed her the use of her own house along with a chef. [25], She survived the shooting attack, despite multiple shot wounds. In 1855, she had built the Hôtel de Pontalba in Paris, where she lived until her death in 1874. Her father-in-law, Baron Joseph Delfau de Pontalba, who had served as an officer in the French and Spanish armies, was greedy and unstable, and over the years proceeded to make Micaela's life extremely unhappy and intolerable. Her estate was capably administered by her mother, Louise Denys de la Ronde, referenced as "a superbly competent businesswoman who had greatly increased the inheritance since Almonester's death." Their exteriors resembled the edifices in Paris' Place des Vosges. Whether you’re traveling with friends, family, or even pets, Vrbo vacation homes have the best amenities for hanging out with the people that matter most, including swimming pools and private pools. She quickly proved herself a capable and shrewd (if brusque) businesswoman, and was a real estate shark within a few years. The long narrow construction of the Pontalba apartments offers an expansive feel. [38] Micaela's husband, Célestin, died on 18 August 1878. [6], Micaela's attempts to protect her fortune and separate from Célestin so enraged Baron de Pontalba that he resorted to violence. The construction of the Pontalba Buildings cost more than $300,000,[6] and she was a constant visitor to the construction sites, often supervising the work on horseback. On ground floor of historic Pontalba Building; New Orleans-style cuisine in casual atmosphere. She spent the remainder of her life at her mansion on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. He was her 20-year-old cousin, Xavier Célestin Delfau de Pontalba, known as Celestin or "Tin Tin," who although born in New Orleans, lived with his family in France. ... Sally Reeves is a noted writer and historian who co-authored the award winning series New Orleans … This exhibition is sponsored by Krista and Michael Dumas. [9], Being the sole heiress to a considerable fortune, Micaela was the richest girl in the city. Find 22 photos of the 726 Pontalba St apartment on Zillow. The 1850 House doesn’t represent any single family’s house, rather, it reflects mid-19th century prosperity, taste and daily life in New Orleans. Cafe Pontalba, New Orleans: See 977 unbiased reviews of Cafe Pontalba, rated 3.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #453 of 1,842 restaurants in New Orleans. From 1849-1851, architect Henry Howard served as the main designer of these red-brick buildings. That evening, the baron committed suicide in his study by shooting himself in the head with the same dueling pistols. This home was built in 1960 and last sold on 4/16/1985 for $88,000. [6] Micaela was also instrumental in the name change of Place d'Armes to Jackson Square; as well as the decision to convert it from a parade ground to a formal garden. She put a lot of energy and enthusiasm into her project, ordering costumes for the performers and hiring local people for the minor roles and Parisian artists for the leading roles. Her family arranged a marriage to her cousin, Xavier Celestin Delfau de Pontalba. [14] In contrast to her mother's second marriage, the citizens of New Orleans strongly approved of this match, considered even more important a marriage than that of her mother to Don Almonaster, perhaps the most important marriage ever contracted in New Orleans between the Creole progeny of two illustrious families. The Place d'Armes, in the heart of the French Quarter, was little better than a slum; its parade ground muddy, and houses squalid and neglected. Marker is at the intersection of Chartres Street and St. Ann St., on the right when traveling west on Chartres Street. Indicative of her high social rank amongst the Creole community, Micaela was given away at the wedding ceremony by nobleman and second cousin Bernard de Marigny, acting as a representative of Marshall Ney, the trusted military commander of Emperor Napoleon I. [6] With some of the money her mother had willed her, she commissioned noted architect Louis Visconti to construct a mansion on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris which she used to host an endless, lavish succession of balls and soirées. ft. single-family home is a 1 bed, 1.0 bath property. The 2,654 sq. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT, The New Orleans Drawings of Gaston de Pontalba, 1848–1851. The charivari was only called off once Louise had promised to donate the sum of $3,000 to the poor. In October 1848, a young, observant sketch artist from France arrived in New Orleans. Pontalba. [5] Don Andres, a native of Mairena del Alcor, Andalucia, Spain, was a wealthy notary and politician who amassed a fortune in real estate and land transfers from his power on the Cabildo, the Spanish governing council of New Orleans, and his contacts with the Spanish Crown. The 450 sq. [9] He was her 20-year-old cousin, Joseph-Xavier Célestin Delfau de Pontalba, known as Célestin or "Tin-Tin", who although born in New Orleans, lived with his family in France. When the Pontalba family decided to sell off the property in 1920, New Orleans philanthropist William Ratcliffe Irby bought the Lower Pontalba, which he bequeathed to the Louisiana State Museum, which maintains control today. [6][9], As Célestin had succeeded to his father's barony upon the latter's suicide, Micaela was henceforth styled Baroness de Pontalba. Cafe Pontalba pays homage to both the history of the buildings and New Orleans’ famous Creole cuisine, serving Creole specialties in its airy, glassed-in Jackson Square corner location. Her husband, Cèlestin, succeeded his father as baron, and Micaela was thereafter styled Baroness de Pontalba. She was described as a "flamboyant, temperamental redhead",[9] though portraits depict her with brown hair, blue-grey eyes, and pale skin; Christina Vella described her complexion as the "hue of stored muslin". Micaela Leonarda Antonia Almonester was born November 6, 1795,[1] in New Orleans, Louisiana, the eldest and only surviving child of Don Andres Almonester y Rojas and his aristocratic French wife, Louise Denys de la Ronde, a member of one of the most illustrious families in Louisiana. It was alleged that when she was landscaping the garden, she threatened the mayor with a shotgun after he tried to prevent her from tearing down two rows of trees. It’s named for the Baroness Micaela Pontalba, famous … Continue reading Chicken Pontalba Recipe → The current Trulia Estimate for 912 Pontalba St is $407,957. [14] The marriage was celebrated on 23 October 1811 at St. Louis Cathedral and attended by the most influential members of Creole society. harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVella1997 (. [19] In the early 1820s, to escape the tyranny of her father-in-law, Micaela persuaded Célestin to set up his own household in Paris, and the couple and their children moved into one of his father's homes on Rue du Houssaie, close to her mother's residence. Take a seat and people-watch through the windows, or order an Abita and turn your attention to the Saints or Hornets game playing throughout the restaurant. Having failed, despite his concerted efforts over more than two decades, to gain possession of Micaela's entire inheritance, her father-in-law, Baron de Pontalba, eventually shot her four times at point-blank range with a pair of dueling pistols, and then committed suicide. She had become a widow for the second time in 1809 with the death of Jean Baptiste Castillon. Micaela left three surviving sons: Célestin (1815-1885), Alfred (1818-1877), and Gaston (1821-1875). Madame Pontalba played important part in the building of Jackson Square. Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial, Friends of the Cabildo's 1850 House website. by From Nola Cuisine This is the last of the fancy New Orleans Chicken dishes that I’m going to feature for awhile, and I finished with my absolute favorite. Sometime after the wedding, Micaela and Célestin, accompanied by both their mothers, left Louisiana for France. In New Orleans, she built out the Pontalba Buildings, some of the most recognizable buildings in the French Quarter. Her only brother was wealthy plantation owner Pierre Denis de La Ronde (1762 - 1824), who would distinguish himself in the Battle of New Orleans, the Night Attack of which was then fought on his much-admired, if widely misnamed (Versailles, Louisiana), plantation, and beneath its equally misnamed allée of Southern live oaks. The baron was already greatly disappointed with Micaela's dowry, appraising it to be much smaller than he felt that he had been led to expect. 912-14 Pontalba St last sold on November 22, 2019 for $395,000. [8] Through her father, Louise was the great-granddaughter of famed Judge and poet René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière of Maison Lotbinière, a great-great niece of Simon-Pierre Denys de Bonaventure and, through his wife, Charlotte Denys de La Ronde, a great-niece of Claude de Ramezay. [32] Micaela put her imagination to work and made energetic plans to remedy the situation. 858 Pontalba St , New Orleans, LA 70124-2760 is currently not for sale. Although Micaela was in love with an impoverished man, she had no choice but to accept the husband her mother had picked for her. [24] Baron de Pontalba stood over her bleeding, unconscious body, yet he fired no more shots and returned to his study. Micaela inherited a considerable fortune. The marker is on the pillar at the building's west corner entrance facing Chartres St., diagonally across the street from the St. Louis Cathedral and across St. Ann St. from Jackson Square in the French Quarter. With the completion of the Pontalba buildings, the family departed for France in March 1851 and never returned to New Orleans. [23], Upon her return to France, the baron accused Micaela of deserting his son, Célestin; she then became a "virtual prisoner" of the de Pontalbas. This 1,774 square foot multi-family home features 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. According to Micaela's biographer, Christina Vella, the de Pontalbas had made the proposition to her mother by letter, having regarded a matrimonial tie between the two families as a "business merger that would transfer the Almonester wealth into their hands". Despite that Christina Vella, in the introduction to her Pulitzer Prize-nominated biography, Intimate Enemies, describes Micaela's mother as "a poor French Creole, famed for marrying her father;" [7] Louise was, in reality, a highly regarded beauty from a very wealthy family of no little import whose marriage had been arranged to extend a powerful alliance with Almonester. [26], Shortly after Jenny Lind's visit, she and her sons left New Orleans for good and went back to Paris where her eldest surviving son, Célestin, and his family resided. Once married, she and her family moved to France. The portrait was lent to the exhibition by the Pontalba family in France. The Apartments at the Upper Pontalba . [22] The decisive Night Attack had also been fought next door, on the plantation grounds of his half-brother, Micaela's Uncle, Colonel Pierre Denys de La Ronde (1762 - 1824), which was also mostly ruined, having afterward been commandeered by the invading British as a field hospital. [30] Micaela knew so much about the design and construction of buildings that historian Christina Vella described her as a "lay genius in architecture". Her mother, Louise Castillon, went to live in a rented house in Paris before she set about astutely buying up property in the city including a home on the Place Vendôme. Located on Jackson Square in the French Quarter, steps away from St. Louis Cathedral, the Upper Pontalba building is one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures in New Orleans. HOURS     The celebrated Battle of New Orleans, in which Jackson had defeated the invading British on 8 January 1815, had been fought on the grounds of the Chalmette Plantation,[21] belonging to her Uncle Ignace Martin de Lino (1755 - 1815), which was also burned by invading forces (reputedly causing his death from a broken heart shortly after returning to his "treasured home" three weeks after the Battle).